FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Industrial Enamel?
Enamel is a glass-like, transparent, and usually opaque material used as a protective or decorative coating on metal, glass, or ceramic ware. Enamels protect the surfaces that they coat from corrosion, and it's most appropriate for coating steel, wood, concrete, plaster, primed aluminum, and galvanized steel.
Characteristics of enamel paints:
- Hard, washable
- Produce glossy finish
- Heat-resistant
- Quicker drying times
What is a Primer?
A Primer is used as a preparatory or primary coating on unpainted wood, metal, or canvas. This helps to prevent the absorption of subsequent layers of paint or the development of rust. Primers are excellent protective coating for steel and iron in typical industrial environments and against atmospheric corrosion.
What is Polyurethane Coating?
Polyurethane coatings are also known as polymers. They provide a very tough, strong, and exceptional wear resistance for the surfaces they coat. They can also be more soft and ductile so that the base material is allowed to stretch without destroying the coating.
Polyurethane coatings are not flammable, so they adapt to situations where combustion occurs in the same environment. Please note that exposure of a polyurethane coating to ultraviolet light can cause the coating to degrade.
Notable for their ability to adhere to a wide variety of base materials, polyurethane coatings don't often require additional processing to cure. They are applied and cure upon exposure to moisture in the air. Some polyurethane coatings also have speedy setting times and can be applied and set in a broad range of temperatures. They can be sprayed or rolled onto a base material.
What is a Water-Reducible Coating?
Water-reducible coating contains soluble resin that dissolves in water and other solvents. A water-reducible coating contains organic co-solvents since it undergoes polycondensation or polymerization reactions. It contains binders that can be used in the formulation of epoxy and alkyd resins.
Water makes up 80% of the solvent used to disperse the resin used to make the coating or paint. It aims to make the coating or paint easy to apply and also be environmentally-friendly. Water-reducible coatings are widely used due to their low volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.) content (less than 3.5 pounds per gallon of water). They can be applied on metal surfaces, wood (e.g., furniture), and plastic substrates.
Water-soluble coatings have the following qualities:
- High corrosion protection
- Wetting and stabilization
- High gloss and excellent pigmentation
- Good flow and leveling properties
- Low toxicity and flammability
- Good for porous materials
- Remarkable resistance to heat and abrasion
- Cleans easily with water or water-based solutions
While it takes longer to dry, water-reducible coating produces a superior surface finish and protection. Heating and air movement devices decrease the curing time. It can be used in conventional application techniques and by spraying.
What is an Epoxy Coating?
An epoxy coating is a coating compound consisting of two distinct elements: an epoxy resin and a polyamine hardener (also known as a catalyst). When mixed, the resin and hardener engage in a chemical reaction that creates cross-linking of the elements as it cures. When the epoxy coating is fully cured, the resulting product is a durable, rigid plastic coating with numerous desirable mechanical properties.
Epoxy coatings are renowned for their outstanding mechanical properties, such as hardness and durability, abrasion, impact, and chemical resistance. These attributes make epoxy coatings an ideal protective coating material for components in demanding industrial settings.
What is Mineral Spirit?
Mineral spirits, also known as mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute, and petroleum spirits, is a petroleum-derived liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting. There are also terms for specific kinds of mineral spirits, including Stoddard solvent and solvent naphtha.
What is M.E.K.?
Methyl Ethyl Ketone (M.E.K.) is a liquid solvent used in surface coatings, adhesives, printing inks, chemical intermediates, magnetic tapes and lube oil dewaxing agents. M.E.K. also is used as an extraction medium for fats, oils, waxes, and resins. Synonyms for M.E.K. are 2-butanone, ethyl methyl ketone, and methyl acetone.
What is hydrochloric acid and its uses?
Hydrochloric acid or muriatic acid is a colorless inorganic chemical system with the formula HCl. Hydrochloric acid has a distinctively pungent smell. It is classified as strongly acidic and can affect the skin over a wide composition range since the hydrogen chloride completely dissociates in an aqueous solution.
For surfaces like brick and cement, this chemical helps remove old paint and is also used for pickling steel. Pickling is a metal surface treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains, inorganic contaminants, rust from ferrous metals, copper, precious metals, and aluminum alloys.
What's the key difference between Acetone and Xylene?
Acetone is a chemical that is a form of a ketone that has the formula CH3COCH3. Xylene is a chemical that is a type of hydrocarbon that has formula C6H4(CH3)2. Xylene and acetone's major difference is that xylene is a cheap and less toxic solvent, whereas acetone is an expensive and more toxic solvent and more flammable. Both xylene and acetone are essential as solvents in chemistry laboratories.
What's the key difference between Acetone, Lacquer Thinner, M.E.K. and Xylene?
Acetone is very useful as a thinner, cleaning solvent, or remover for fiberglass resins, polyester and epoxy resins, adhesives or contact cement, ink, latex paint and uncured lacquers. It is also excellent at degreasing metalwork.Lacquer Thinner is a high-solvency, medium-drying-time, formulated solvent effective as a thinner and cleaner for lacquer and epoxy coatings. It's an excellent choice when a durable and attractive finish is desired, whether on wood or metal, sprayed or brushed. Lacquer Thinner is excellent at cleaning brushes, tools, and equipment immediately after use.Methyl Ethyl Ketone is a strong, fast-drying solvent and degreaser. M.E.K. is useful for thinning acrylics, lacquers, polyester and epoxy resins, fiberglass resins, adhesives, and ink or cleaning up adhesives, fiberglass repair tools, dried latex paint, and lacquer.This general-purpose solvent is effective at thinning oil-based paints, varnishes, stains, and polyurethanes. Mineral Spirits leave behind no residue. It is best as a cleaner on brushes, tools, and equipment while paints or other substances are still wet.Due to extended drying times, Xylene is an effective thinner in specialty oil-based paint, epoxy, varnish, synthetic enamels, and adhesive when the desire is to create hard, protective, and glossy finishes. Xylene can also remove certain adhesives. Immediately after use, Xylene can be used to clean tools and equipment
What is V.O.C.?
Volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.s) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. V.O.C.s include various chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many V.O.C.s are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. V.O.C.s are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. These products can release organic compounds while you are using them and, to some degree, when they are stored.
What is meant by High Solids Paint?
High solids paints are formulated to have a higher concentration of resin and a smaller concentration of volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.). Therefore high solids paints are more environmentally friendly than conventional solids paints because they release fewer emissions into the atmosphere. There are some exceptions, but this is generally true of most paints.
Can I Order Special Colors or Specifications?
We stock many oil fields and O.E.M. equipment colors, such as John Deere Green, Safety Yellow, Case Power Tan, National Blue, Waukesha Orange, Safety Red, International Red, and multiple OSHA Safety Colors as examples. We may have your color in stock; if not, we can custom blend almost any color. There is usually a minimum order for custom colors.
Do you sell aerosol paints?
YES! We carry Krylon Industrial aerosol. We have products for many industrial applications and in varying colors and sizes.
